After your application online our Volunteer/Schools Co-ordinators will get in touch with you about your availability and school availability in your area. You may then be asked for an interview and then invited to our training.
Training involves attending two training sessions (1 and 2). Session 1 is online, Session 2 is face to face. You must attend both sessions. You will need to be aware of current safeguarding issues and how they apply to both the children they are working with and to your own safer working practices. You will also be asked to complete a Safeguarding Training (online) and Prevent Training (online). Both these courses you will be asked to do in your own time.
You will be vetted through the Disclosure and Barring Service and the appropriate level of suitability checks will be made. You will also be asked to supply two referees who we can contact.
You should be able to commit to attending at least two Volunteer Network Meetings in a year to keep your practice and skills updated. We provide a variety of training and information material at Network Meetings to keep our Volunteers updated over the year.
You do not need any formal qualifications – training and ongoing support is provided. However, you do need a good level of English – equivalent to a Level One Basic Skills in Literacy.
In training we will look at the the many different types of books you can read with your children. As well as standard learning to read books with reading levels, we look at all the amazing fiction and non fiction that is available for young readers.
We show you what amazing literacy based games there are out there for you to play with the children you work with. Even if a game is not literacy based we have tips to show you how to include literacy. Our games are extremely popular with the children in schools!
You don’t just have to read a book in your sessions. Why not look at other reading resources that spark a child’s interest like comics, newspapers, magazines. We have a look at all these and more in our training and give you hints and tips.
At our training you will be shown the two types of reading techniques you can use with your children to help support and guide them in the sessions. This will help you give the right reading support, especially if you have not read with children before.
